Stop-and-go traffic (and finally, a visa!)

My life, the last six months, has reminded me very much of crazy city traffic. One moment, you're making great headway towards your destination, and the next, you find yourself sitting at the longest red light in the entire world, stuck behind a bus, with absolutely no idea where you are.

But, dare I even say it, it seems that this trip is actually going to happen!

My letter of invitation (LOI) from the university, which was supposed to arrive weeks and weeks ago, showed up about two weeks ago, in a very peculiar location: our greenhouse. I suppose the DSL man got confused, but then again, the house is very obviously forty feet away. Well, at least we found it, right?

So, armed with my LOI, I set off to get the real deal official visa ... which also turned into a bit of a muck. Let's just say the Russian Embassy in D.C. has an excellent music selection for you to listen to while on hold (and they are particularly unhelpful when you actually get to talk to them). I eventually found out I needed a few more bits and pieces of information - contacts, addresses in Russia, etc - so I did a bit of frantic e-mailing once again. After that, there wasn't much I could do but sit tight until I got everything I needed.

Over the last week, everything trickled in, and Monday morning, I set off for D.C. with my dad and littlest sister (if you're going to D.C., you may as well turn it into a field trip, right?). I was expecting an embassy like you see in the movies - a nice white facade, you walk in, talk to the pretty woman at the desk, and so on and so forth. Boy, was I surprised. Rather than being on 'Embassy Row' with all the other embassies, the Russians decided to plant themselves smack in the middle of a residential apartment area. Their compound, and I'm not kidding when I say compound, takes up about half a block and is, truth be told, a walled, fenced, you're-not-welcome-here sort of place. One might think it was totally deserted on first glance. We drove around the block, trying to spot the door, and it turns out, there isn't really one. Just gates.

So here's the drill (if you ever need to apply for a Russian visa): first, you call or look online, and find out the exact times you need to be there. The time for visa applicants is 9 am. Around 8:50, people begin to gather outside the gate, sitting on the sidewalk and in the grass. Someone stands by the wall and pushes the buzzer every few minutes. At 9, everyone starts nervously looking at their watches. As each minute passes, they get more and more antsy. Somewhere around 9:05-9:10, you hear a little click and everyone JUMPS for the gate before it re-locks itself. Then it's the gentleman's free-for-all; everyone is trying to pretend they're polite and unselfish, but really, all they want is to be the first one in that door. I, as the only female, managed to make it to the front of the line (thank you, courteous gentleman). So, I handed in all of my paperwork, got a receipt and was told, "Come back at 3 pm". I walked out shaking my head and thinking, "that was way too easy."

We walked around D.C. for the rest of the morning, saw the sights, and headed back to the embassy. I waited by the gate again, got in, showed my receipt, and was handed my passport, complete with Russian visa. Once again, I couldn't believe it. They didn't ask for ID or anything. Out I walked, through the empty garden, onto the street. It was disturbingly easy, but I'm not complaining! I guess, after the months of paperwork and waiting, they can cut you some slack.

The visa begins October 1, but the airlines only fly into Khabarovsk on Wednesdays and Fridays, which means I'm still not sure of my exact date of departure (somewhere between October 1-4). I should have tickets by tomorrow though (hopefully all of that will go smoothly).

Thanks for all of your prayers and generous support in the last weeks (especially to my home church, you all are amazing!) It's hard to believe that in twelve or thirteen days, I'll be on a plane to Russia, but I could not be more excited!

A few things you can pray for:
1. I found out last week that the school semester began in September. At this point, all I can do is laugh about it, but it does makes me almost a month late. I've been assured that it won't be a problem, but it is nerve-wracking. Pray for ease in catching up!
2. Finances. I have quite enough to get there and start living, but I'm hoping to stay until the middle of the summer, and unless I live in a cardboard box and eat black bread for every meal, it's going to be tight.
3. A wonderful last few weeks with my family and friends here in the US!

A thousand thank yous and much love to all,
Elsbeth